top five favorite christmas movies

this is the only time of the year that you might catch me watching the lifetime and hallmark channels. not because the movie are good, but because for some reason i am sucked in to their christmas lineup. i know they are really cheesy, but i have always been forgiving when it comes to christmas. the following are my favorite christmas movies. none here are cheesy (at least to me), and all are extremely re-watchable. especially number one! so without further hubbub, i give you my top five favorite christmas movies.

p.s.
i have left off television specials. that is for another post. hubbub over.

5. white christmas (1954) - this is a horrible movie to watch with me. i promise you that i can recite 95 percent of this movie. seriously. my grandmother introduced me to this one when i was very young and i may have seen it more than any other film (i used to watch it in the summer). bing crosby, danny kaye, rosemary clooney & vera-ellen are the perfect cast to dance and sing their way through this classic. directed by michael curtiz (casablanca), all songs
written by irving berlin, and the first film to be shot in vistavision = classic!



4. miracle on 34th street (1947) -
although the 1994 remake is a charming, it lacks the magic of the original. with edmund gwenn as what may be the greatest santa in movie history, miracle's strength lays in it's cast. the beautiful maureen o'hara and the soft and sweet natalie wood. it's very inspirational and still holds up today.



3. scrooge (1951) (a.k.a. a christmas carol) -
there are many versions of this story. most of them are great, but the best for my money is alastair sim as ebenezer scrooge. it's one of my favorite stories. timeless, scary, funny, and powerfully redemptive. it gives me hope that all those scrooges in our lives may one day see the light.



2. it's a wonderful life (1946) -
it's not only my second favorite christmas movie, but it's one of my favorite movies of all time. it's almost cliché now, but the story of how one person can affect the lives of so many others is awesome to me. capra and stewart are at the top of their craft here. it's on every year. we have all seen it, but it never loses it's power. the final scene never fails to bring a tear to my eye.




1. a christmas story (1983) -
One of the most re-watchable films i have seen, a christmas story is completely perfect. bob clark captures the 1940's so perfectly that i thought it was an old film (when i was young). the narration played against ralphie's facial expressions, darren mcgavin as the loving yet flawed father, randy and the zeppelin. everything works. nothing falls short. it's hilarious and sweet but never sappy. there is a reason it's played 24 hours straight every christmas!